Most Likely TV "Burnout" Jobs

[Sigonfile]

Of all the positions in the news business...which one would you tend to think has the quickest burnout rate? In our shop ....I'd have to say producers.

[overthehill]

Assignments is a killer job, if it's being done correctly.

Speaking as a former ND, it's a ballbreaker too. MUCH harder than your ND probably makes it look.

[adam & doctor drew]

desk, definitely.

[The Mockingbird]

I'd say Desk over Producers because the resulting show is a tangible result. Also, producers get that "wind down" time after a show, to help decompress the day.

[imcrazy]

Depending on what market, I have to disagree that producers get burned out easily. Our station has one producer for each show and that rundown does not really change in 8 hours. The assignment desk doesn't make beat calls. So I'm going to say for the most part reporters get burnt most quickly. We get rejected on interviews, we chase people, we chase stories, we're in the elements...finally we give the stories to the producers and assignment desk.

:p

[MoistureFluxCapacitor]

Before I started working on the desk, I looked like Tom Cruise.

After working on the desk for 8 years, I looked more like Kevin James.

I gained weight...lost hair...and the hair I kept started to turn grey.

I was ready to quit the business completely...but I had set a goal for myself to get in front of the camera doing weather.

I finished my education...and dropped nearly 100 markets to move in front of the camera and never looked back. Getting OFF of the assignment desk is the best career move I ever made.

If you have not been a Deskie in a top 20 market, you don't know what stress is. I'd think Air Traffic Control would be easier.

[SamG]

It's got to be the desk. Something goes wrong for a reporter... it's either the equipment or the photogs fault, or the interviewee wouldn't talk. Something goes wrong for the producers... it's the reporters fault or the director, or the graphic op. Photog... gotta be an equipment problem.

For the guy (or gal) running the desk... they can't blame a failed scanner or a bad court docket. THEY are responsible. I lasted six months on the desk and couldn't change jobs fast enough. Long hours, no respect, and no thanks.

[Produce man]

You forgot no decent money. That's reserved for the twinkies.

[Galaxian]

If it's anything like my job, I'd say producers are the burnouts. I have to clean up the mess when a reporter doesn't come back with their story, I have to understand the cryptic e-mails sent out by our assignment editor, I have to deal with the news director when he comes dashing into the control room at the slightest scent of trouble, and I have to rewrite terrible scripts from the network services that are supposed to help me save time.

Is it any wonder I'm trying to get out of this job, and this profession?

[adam & doctor drew]

that may all be true but you only do it for 1 show a day.
the desk people are supposed to be overseeing/contributing to multiple shows every day.

no I'm not a desk guy.... just always thought they had it worst of anyone.

[Galaxian]

that may all be true but you only do it for 1 show a day.
the desk people are supposed to be overseeing/contributing to multiple shows every day.

no I'm not a desk guy.... just always thought they had it worst of anyone.
Actually, two shows a day.

[NewsguyMark]

Hands down, it's the desk. No respect, less money, huge stress, blamed for ANYTHING that goes wrong.

GREAT desk people are GOLD!

[Sigonfile]

Most desk people I know had to learn everything from day one. Most were interns and took the bait to get their first job in television. Some have hung in there, others moved to other positions in the station.

[TVMattNYC]

Assignment desk.
Copy editor.
Writer.
Segment Producer.
Line Producer.
Broadcast Producer.
Reporter.
Anchor.
News Director.

I'd say that anything that requires you to work outside of normal business hours, including overnights, evenings, weekends, and holidays is going to burn you sooner or later.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Another vote for assign. desk.

[The Mockingbird]

Single show producers are becoming rarer and rarer in the mid and small markets. You're seeing a lot of producers doing things like thre 6 and 10, or 6 and 9, or AM and Noon, or Noon and 5.

Two shows a day turns a producer's job into an assembly line.

That being said, I'd still put the Desk Guy's job ahead in the burnout factor, but producers are close behind.

[!]

Assignment desk.

[trunky]

My first job in news was at the desk. Almost two years later, I'll have to agree with assignment editors. It's just rediculous. Most other people just wouldn't be able to hang.

[Charlie Brown]

you couldn't pay most people in this business (myself included) enough to work the desk...everyone's right, it's gotta be the most stressful job in the newsroom...your daily soundtrack is a cacophony of scanner traffic and your coworkers whining about how difficult they have it...everyone takes you for granted and expects you to have all the answers.

outside of the desk? Small market OMB.

[Pinkie]

Another vote for the desk. Besides the obvious stress, it's like someone else said, there's no tangible result at the end of the day. A producer can get stressed out, but there's that sense of satisfaction when a show goes great. Same with a reporter and a great story. A deskie doesn't get to "see" his work in the same way.

[AutoTranz]

I'll also vouch for a one-man PROMOTIONS person. You have no graphics person. No photographer. No editor. No "research" department. No secretary answering all the phone calls from people wanting to tour the station. Not much time to "pre-build" elements. You are the answer to everyone's creative problems. "We need some sexy graphic...a pie chart...we want to blur/bleep this/that."

You speak to local high school & college TV departments. You *hope* there is decent video for your spots. You get very little help from the newsroom, if any. Don't forget: both the ND and GM demand "sexy", 24-7. You also write things for morning anchors that NEVER see you. You tease a newscast that's 24 hours away. Oh, and talent needs more make-up time before a shoot, while you need to get the 2 :30 second spots, 2 :15 second spots and 3 ID's on the air.

You negotiate with sporting apparel companies to get station jackets, t-shirts, hats. You get station stickers printed, traditional AND electronic billboards put up in the city, AND surrounding counties.

You risk getting fired if you don't perform...daily. Hourly. Up-to-the-minute.

And don't get the station sued.

And stop by Dicks Such-&-Forth to shoot a sponsors stand-up for a public affairs program.

Not taking anything away from anyone else who works hard...but the one-man promotions person has it bad at times too.

Notice I still haven't mentioned the website.

[Produce man]

My first job in news was at the desk. Almost two years later, I'll have to agree with assignment editors. It's just rediculous. Most other people just wouldn't be able to hang.*sigh*

[MaryRichards]

Producing is rough stuff - but I'd agree - the desk is the worst.

That's a job for masochists.

[vuphinder]

Most "burnouts" are photographers. They can smoke pot all day long while out "shooting" vo's on their own.

[trunky]

"Most other people just wouldn't be able to hang."

I get my ass kicked, alot, that's all I can say. Don't know a better way to sum it up.

"*sigh*"

I would like to know what you were thinking though.

[MyracleMan]

Directors

No matter what happens at the desk, no matter what happens to the producers, no matter what the reporters do/don't get, the director/td still has to take the steaming pile of s#!t handed to them at 30min to show and make it look and smell like a beautiful red rose.

And listen to the talent b!tch about everything.

And listen to the producers b!tch about the talent.

And listen to the desk b!tch about the producers.

And listen to the reporters and photogs b!tch about the desk.

And build graphics for the show.

And create the talent promos to air before and after the show.

And create the talent PSA's to make them look loke they're involved in the community.

And cut promos for programming.

And write/shoot/edit commercials.

And deal with the part-time production assistants.

And take all that stuff AutoTranz said about one-man promotions departments, and add that in, too.

All in the same day.

Directing live newscasts was once the hardest/most stressful job right behind air traffic controller. Give us a little love here, too.

[TVMattNYC]

I have a profound respect for our directors.

[trunky]

The directors at my station always get their propers...

[Who Cares???]

My last station went through accountants like they were toliet paper.

[AutoTranz]

Directors

No matter what happens at the desk, no matter what happens to the producers, no matter what the reporters do/don't get, the director/td still has to take the steaming pile of s#!t handed to them at 30min to show and make it look and smell like a beautiful red rose.

And listen to the talent b!tch about everything.

And listen to the producers b!tch about the talent.

And listen to the desk b!tch about the producers.

And listen to the reporters and photogs b!tch about the desk.

And build graphics for the show.

And create the talent promos to air before and after the show.

And create the talent PSA's to make them look loke they're involved in the community.

And cut promos for programming.

And write/shoot/edit commercials.

And deal with the part-time production assistants.

And take all that stuff AutoTranz said about one-man promotions departments, and add that in, too.

All in the same day.

Directing live newscasts was once the hardest/most stressful job right behind air traffic controller. Give us a little love here, too.

I've been a director, then that 1-man promo department....then woke up and came BACK to directing.

I'd still take sh!t-filtering newscasts over branding and marketing a television station ANY day of the week.

[FD2BLK]

Auto Traz.... In addition to your list....

Working around equipment issues... Camera 3 goes down in my shop on a regular basis and seems to be down for days at a time.

Filtering out the rantings from a high strung producer. I have one that's calm and one that's a raging psycho. Both good at their jobs, but the difference is incredible.

Copyediting on the fly.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job...most days...

[MyracleMan]

I have a profound respect for our directors.

The directors at my station always get their propers...

I need to work in either of your shops, then. Here, directors are seen, especially by talent, as glorified button pushers who need to just do their jobs and shut the f#@k up, no matter how long they've been doing this. In most cases, I've been working in production longer than they've been out of college.

[Wise Old Producer]

..the desk and producing.

It all depends on the shop, but the desk is far worse. As someone mentioned earlier, you never walk away from it. Good assignment editors are always working, even when they are not behind the desk. Monitoring the other stations, considering story ideas, etc..

Having said that, the best assignment editors can't imagine themselves doing anything else. I've worked with hands-down, one of the best assignment editors in the business, and he and I agreed that we would not want each others' jobs. I got my kicks producing; He got his on the desk. We also agreed-- the more breaking news the better. :thumbsup:

[trunky]

Hey assignment editor types...good job this weekend.

[mothball]

I gotta say -- overnight and weekend producers, in markets where there is no assignment editor covering that shift. Instead of the seven hours of waiting until the show is done (like the evening producers in my old shop), morning producers had five hours to prepare for a two hour show, then were expected to stay until everything was set up for the next day. Also expected to listen to the scanner, cover breaking news (and school closings and the like), assign photographers for live shots, schedule interviews, and write like the dickens. And usually looked at in disdain if somehow they managed to finish everything up by 9am and go home (as if nothing really gets done until the day crew comes in).

I certainly don't miss the crappy hours, no lunch break, sometimes staying until noon (or even as late as 4pm when we were having in-house seminars), the phone calls at home in the middle of sleep, the rules about having to call in by 5pm (sometimes you don't know if you're violently ill seven hours before you're supposed to work!), the anchors that breeze in five minutes before the show starts and harp on you if you make one spelling mistake in a two hour show, the broken equipment issues never passed along to us (there'd be a note on the engineer's desk in another part of the building), the computer meltdowns, the lack of anything nutritious in the breakroom snack machine (because where the hell are you going to go at 4am when you have three minutes of down time?) the carpet cleaning, the drunks in the parking lot... suddenly, I'm trying to remember why I liked the job so much at the time.

[CheapEngineer]

Sorry, I'm gonna top all of these.

All Engineers start out as friendly, optimistic technicians.

Seen any Cheerful, Content and Optimistic Engineers at your place lately?

Cheap

[SamG]

Sorry, I'm gonna top all of these.

All Engineers start out as friendly, optimistic technicians.

Seen any Cheerful, Content and Optimistic Engineers at your place lately?

Cheap
Having done both, it's still no comparison... Assignment Editor is still the top "burn out" job.